Startup Systems
systems that power startups
Startup Systems
Replacing bad systems with bad systems
seths.blog
The network effect is sticky and hard to overcome, and as we move the internet of things from our phones to just about everything we touch, it’s worth thinking about resilience, flexibility and the reason we need something in the first place.
Often, we end up compromising about our compromises, maximizing for the wrong outcomes and getting hooked on a new system that forgot what the original system was even for.
When a system is new, few are watching, so a handful of people with intent can design it and optimize it. As it gains in scale and impact, it calcifies at the same time that new tech arrives to codify the decisions that were made when the conditions were very different.
Unnecessary versus necessary chaos
In my 13 years working at startups, I’ve witnessed many examples of unnecessary chaos—here are a few.
A major release has been planned for months, but launch communications—new positioning, website copy, customer email, blog post—are reviewed at the last minute.
A manager reschedules 1:1s every week because of... See more
In my 13 years working at startups, I’ve witnessed many examples of unnecessary chaos—here are a few.
A major release has been planned for months, but launch communications—new positioning, website copy, customer email, blog post—are reviewed at the last minute.
A manager reschedules 1:1s every week because of... See more
Jean Hsu • Does Your Startup Feel Chaotic? Good.
First-principles thinking, or thinking from first principles, sounds a lot more complicated than it is. It’s simply a technique for approaching problems with a beginner’s mind. Instead of working within assumptions and what people around you “know” to be true, you do the hard work of figuring out what’s actually true and, thus, what’s truly... See more
Lenny Rachitsky • First-Principles Thinking
A new business is complicated. It involves weaving together suppliers, partners, customers, processes, technology, leases, employees, logos, capital and more.
Along the way, it’s easy to get distracted, but focusing on the hard parts is a useful way to move forward.
Along the way, it’s easy to get distracted, but focusing on the hard parts is a useful way to move forward.
Customer traction is the hard part
Simplicity is difficult because most of us are overcompensating for uncertainty. Adding something is easy. But removing something is hard, because it requires conviction. It’s easier to hedge against uncertainty, entertain multiple paths, and dilute your focus than to develop a strong opinion about what to exclude.
Things I'm thinking about
To actually engage in deep work, they not only have to create the time on their calendar, but also have to experience the anxiety and uncertainty that comes with being offline. Getting more precision around what you find aversive is the first step in learning more effective ways to deal with the emotions that come up.
Casey Rosengren • Hack Your Focus With Body Doubling
I started this company in one of the recessions and had seen suppliers and customers go to the wall in droves. To me, getting more customers and more orders meant safety and security.
To the people who worked for me, growth meant change.
To the people who worked for me, growth meant change.
6 Ways I Sabotaged My Own Startup’s Culture
Growth is change — communicate often.
"I've noticed three main things holding people back from being more productive and achieving their goals.
They resist creating processes for themselves: This might be baggage from the past where processes were used to control and subjugate them. But processes chosen and designed by YOU can become liberating.
They resist making decisions: Most